Sabotage
by Mrs. King Aragorn
Summary: Kiambo Da, who likes to be called Timmy, also Padawan to Anakin Skywalker, has Sith origins that no one knows about. Why do they need to know about it anyway? She's a loyal Jedi now. But when her brother, Daylomb, escapes from the Republic's detention level, and she is sent to find him, will her inner conflicts make her turn her brother in, or keep him hidden from the Jedi?
1. Chapter 1

"Padawan Da, please report to the Council Chambers immediately." Master Windu clicked off his commlink before I could even reply. In response to his call, I trudged down the long hallway towards the Council room. They must be in session. I was never invited to a Council meeting, so this was great. Maybe they've just realized that I'm ready for the trials. I thought about Daylomb, my brother who was now in the prison as a traitor, and about my life. I was probably one of the only Sith to be changed into a Jedi. As I walked into the circular room, I noticed that this time all of the masters were actually present, none on a hologram. Master Mundi was explaining to a Padawan how to open a holocron when I came in. the Padawan immediately left and I stood in the center of the room. This is it. I know they'll let me take the trials now.  
"Padawan Da, nice to see you again." Master Kenobi smiled at me and I bowed slightly. "We," he motioned around the room at all the masters, "have decided that you—"  
"Are ready for the trials?" I finished hopefully.  
He seemed startled and finished like this instead, "Actually, we wanted you to go after Daylomb Tiklersco."  
I felt like I was going to tear up. I swallowed hard and tried to hide my feelings of disappointment. "But…but... he's in prison." I tried not to stutter, but it's hard when you're that disappointed.  
"He escaped." Master Windu stared at me with such a stern, reprimanding look I wanted to drop into a pit.  
I nodded. Daylomb could be very dangerous, especially loose on Coruscant. He obviously didn't have anyone to pick him up, or the sensors and clone guards would have spotted a Separatist ship. So that meant he had to be somewhere on this planet.  
Leaving the room, I heard Master Skywalker say quietly, "The Trials? What's gotten into this kid?"  
I grew angry with Master Skywalker for saying that, but it wasn't really him that I was mad at. Deep down inside I was really mad because obviously, the Council wasn't even considering it.

** This is**

**SABOTAGE**

I calmly strolled back to my room and punched my pinky finger against the red button that would open the door. As the door automatically slid shut behind me, I fell back onto my bed. I felt a little more relaxed now that I had lain down, and my mind began to clear. "Wait!" I sat up so abruptly my head hurt for a minute. Daylomb, he escaped! I hadn't really thought about it until now, but I was being sent out to recapture, possibly kill, my own brother. I shook my head. "Impossible. Besides, they know that he's my-. They don't know. They don't know that he's my brother." I buried my face in my hands. Suddenly, before I could stop myself, I started crying. "I can't do this. I can't go after my own brother." I knew talking to myself would only fuel my tears, but I did it anyway. I stood up and walked over to the wall that was one big window. "I can't believe they would do this to me. Of course," I sniffed, "why would they care. They don't know. Besides, I'm not supposed to have any attachments." There was a buzz and I knew someone was at my door. I sniffed again. "Come in." I wiped my eyes right before he came in.  
"Hey."  
"Hi." I sniffed one more time. I hadn't turned around from the window yet, but by the voice, it sounded like Master Skywalker.  
"I thought you were in the Council meeting."  
"Huh?"  
I turned around and my eyes about bulged out of their sockets.  
"Daylomb!" I ran over and hugged him. "What are you doing here? Everyone's looking for you. There's wanted posters all over Coruscant!"  
He shrugged. "I thought I could risk it to come see my little sis." He saw my red eyes and said, "Were you… were you crying?"  
I thought about my answer for a minute, then nodded slowly.  
"Why? Still acting like a baby?"  
My cheeks grew bright red. I wanted to come back with some good retort, but I couldn't think of anything. "No. I'm not a baby." I turned and walked back to the window.  
"Hey, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I was just joking." He came over and stood beside me.  
I began to pour everything out to him. "The Council wanted me to come look for you and bring you back so they could put you on trial and….and…." I broke down again.  
"Stang, Girl. You've got some problems."  
I stopped crying immediately. "I do not have problems!"  
This time he was the one looking out the window. "Look, Kiambo, I didn't mean to—"  
"Timmy." I corrected him.  
"What?" He turned to me with a confused expression on his face. "You got some kinda boyfriend or somethin'?"  
"No, of course not. That's my name…or, nickname. Timmy."  
He shrugged. "Whatever you say."  
There was a buzz at the door. Daylomb looked at me curiously. "You expectin' someone?"  
I ignored his question and strode over to the door. "Who is it?"  
"Padawan Da, I'm surprised you're not already in the hanger, awaiting your ship."  
"Uh, Master Plo, could you wait a minute?" I asked nervously.  
I glanced over at Daylomb, who was now lounging on my bed.  
"Of course." He said patiently. "What I have to say can wait. But please, make it quick."  
"One minute." I promised. "Come on, Daylomb." I pulled him off the bed. "You've got to get out of here." I pushed him over to my closet.  
"Uh, does 'get out of here' mean hide in the closet?"  
I gave him an annoyed look. I pressed a hidden panel on the inside of my closet and a little hatch opened in the floor. "Go." I said, nodding toward the opening.  
"Where does it go to?" He asked, looking quite doubtful.  
"The hanger, now go." I gave him a gentle push toward it.  
"The hanger!? Are you trying to kill m—" His sentence was cut off when I pushed him down it.  
"Get to Florum, I'll come as soon as I can." I closed the hatch and shut my closet. Right before I opened the door, I smoothed my shirt out and tried to look casual. "Yes, Master Plo?" I asked as I opened the door.  
"Padawan Da, ship is waiting for you in the hangar."  
"Oh, yes, yes, I'll be there in a minute." He turned and left, and I shut the door behind him.  
I grabbed my lightsaber from off my dresser and clipped it on my belt. I hope Daylomb didn't get of the ship I'm taking, or Master would be sure to find out. I opened my closet and slid down the same chute I had sent Daylomb down. When I my feet touched the hangar bay's silver floor, I let out a breath. One of the ships, the Captain, was gone. Hopefully Daylomb had taken off in that ship.  
A few clone commandos were huddled in a group by the door to the hangar bay. I crept closer and crouched behind a box full of clone armor waiting to be delivered to Kayshyyyk.  
"Listen, Sparks, you may not remember it, but I know the Jedi haven't always been the good guys."  
"Well maybe I don't remember, but how do you know? They may be right." A second voice said.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa." The third voice said. "You guys do know what you're talkin' about, right?"  
I leaned in closer. "That's treason." 


	2. Chapter 2

"Master Windu, I know it. There's something going on here." Obi-wan tried to convince him.  
"I don't know. Everything seems fine to me, and, if there was something wrong, why wouldn't we," he motioned to the other masters in the room, "sense it?" Mace Windu concluded.  
"That's what I'm not sure about, but why else would the Chancellor want emergency powers?"  
"Obi-wan, I don't trust him either. But we can't just assume he wants emergency powers just for the additions he'd be getting. Like Dooku said, Senators all over are being influenced by a Sith lord; which, possibly is Darth Sidious. Either the Chancellor is being influenced by him, or he wants to gain more power over the Republic."  
"Master Windu, I'm not suggesting he wants more power, I am just saying the people believe he needs more power."  
"But that's not the case." Windu said.  
"Exactly. If we expect him to have emergency powers, but then we don't trust him…we'd be leaving our government in the hands of someone we don't trust."  
"All we can do for now is wait and see what happens." Ki-adi Mundi said.  
Plo-Koon nodded slowly. "I, too, agree."  
"It's in the Senate's power, not ours." Adi Gallia told Obi-wan.  
Obi-wan nodded. "If that is the way it must happen, then that is what should happen."

"That would be treason, selling information to the Separatists." The third voice repeated.  
"Commander Python, you can't be so sure." Sparks said.  
"I agree with—"  
"Shut up, Ricotche." Sparks snapped.  
I'm guessing that third voice was Commander Python, the second voice was Sparks, and the first voice was Ricotche's. I thought to myself. As I tried to get closer, I accidentally kicked a clone helmet that was sitting beside me. Ricotche whirled around, putting a finger to his lips.  
"Someone's here." He said.  
I held my breath, as if that would keep them from discovering me.  
"Great, now they're gonna court-martial us all." Commander Python groaned.  
Ricotche approached the box I was hiding behind cautiously. I had to get out of here, and now was my chance. Commander Python had picked up a rock that was, for some reason, lying on the floor and thrown it on the opposite end of the room. I used the force to gently send the rock skittering near the door opposite of me. Sparks spun around and motioned for Ricotche to follow. The two of them gingerly stalked up to the door and walked out, guns raised. When the door slid shut behind them, I let out a deep breath and stood up. I looked over where the commandos had been standing and realized Commander Python was still there; and he was staring at me.

Daylomb activated the ship's manifest controls to get a good overview of the ship. "Well, Tim told me to get to Florum, so I guess that's where I'll go." He pressed a few buttons and glanced at the control panels. "These things are way different from Separatist ships." He looked again at the panels, completely confused. He bit his lip and gently touched the locator screen. "Geez." He said as the ship activated a locating device. "Let's see. I've never been to Florum." He searched the map for the blue and pinkish planet. "Ah ha! Found it." He pressed the picture of the planet and the information box popped up. "Known for space pirates and dry climates…" he read aloud. "Hmm. She picked a good place. It says that there's no known inhabitance of either Separatist or Republic forces."  
He pulled a few switches to make the jump to hyperspace.  
As the bright blue stars flew by, he decided to check out the rest of the ship. He switched the ship onto auto-pilot and got out of the pilot's chair. He wandered into the another room, which happened to be the only other one besides the cockpit. There was a cot in one corner, boxes full of what probably were spare parts in another corner, and floor-to-ceiling support beams. He decided to pry open one of the crates. He grabbed a sheathed knife he found in another open box and started to dig it into the thin line where the lid met the box. He pried it open and discovered nothing special. Spare parts, just as I thought. Huh? What's that? He focused on something white and glittering in the bottom of the box. He moved the parts aside and pulled out what looked like a clone helmet. He held it carefully. "What?" He asked himself. He turned it upside down and looked inside. There was faint writing on the inside.

You fell for my trick  
Now you will pay  
For what you've done.  
Betraying the Separatists was a BAD idea.

"What?" He asked himself again. Suddenly a red light flicked on inside the helmet and flashed on and off, counting down orally: 10…9…8…  
He dropped the helmet like it was on fire and stared at it for a minute.  
…7…6…  
He ran back to the cockpit.  
5…4…3…2.  
He shut the door to the room and tried to find an escape pod—there were none.  
..1…destruct.  
The ship exploded in a ball of flame, making a crash course for the planet he had just come out of hyperspace to find.  
The explosion threw him to the side of the ship, hitting his head on the transparisteel walls. He felt his forehead as a steady trickle of blood oozed down his face. Another explosion slammed him back toward the pilot's chair. He tried desperately to strap himself in. He was too late. The final explosion blew the back of the ship off. He managed to close the blast doors and strap himself in. The ship slammed forward and his head hit the controls. The chaotic scene dimmed out of his view.

I stood up, hoping it looked like I hadn't been trying to hide. "Commander Python? I hope you have a good explanation for this."  
"I—uh—I am not a part of this. This is crazy. You don't suspect that I…" His voice trailed off when he saw the authoritative glare I gave him. Even though I wasn't as tall as him (just by one inch) he still treated me with respect.  
"That's not the answer I wanted."  
"Well, you know, I didn't know that… I tried to convince them that they were wrong…" He started again for a third time, "I am completely loyal to the—"  
The moment of truth. I thought.  
"Republic." He finished slowly. I heard the doors hiss open again and Sparks and Ricotche entered.  
"General." They both stood at attention and saluted. Ricotche gave Commander Python a death stare that said, You better not have said a word.  
Python blinked. "Men, I have a few questions for you." He glanced my way.  
"No, I have a few questions for you." I corrected. "Where were you?"  
Ricotche gave me a confused look. "Where were we, Sir?  
"Yes, where were you. Just now."  
"Well, we were in our quarters, Sir." Sparks said.  
"Uh huh." I said slowly. "Stay here. I'll be right back." I walked toward the door. "And don't leave." I added as I left the hangar.

An hour later I came back with Masters Plo and Kenobi after telling them the whole story. I clicked open the door and entered, followed closely by Master Kenobi, then Master Plo. "Commander Python." I said as I stopped in front of him. I scanned the room, looking for Sparks and Ricotche. I spotted Sparks talking to another clone in a corner, but couldn't find Ricotche. "Where's Ricotche?" I asked.  
"He…uh…he left." He paused for a minute, then added, "Sir."  
I gave him a suspicious stare.  
"What are you up to, Commander?" Master Kenobi stepped forward.  
"Me, Sir? I'm not up to anything. I mean, well, I'm not." Python glanced around nervously. I followed his gaze, which led to Sparks. Sparks finished speaking with the clone and walked over casually.  
"Sirs." He said, saluting.  
"Certain information has led us to believe there is a traitor in our midst." Began Master Plo. "And that information led us to believe that maybe it was one of you."  
He was obviously referring to Sparks and Ricotche, but he also was eyeing Commander Python suspiciously. Sparks cast a fearful glance toward the doors. He took a steady step back, then another. I kept my eyes on him, but was also making sure Commander Python didn't lie about anything.  
"Sir, I assure you, I had nothing to do with this." Python said. Suddenly Sparks made a dash for the door behind him. He darted out and kept running down the hall.  
"After him!" Kenobi yelled to me. Master Plo ran out the other door, and I followed Sparks. Python tried to get away, but Master Kenobi grabbed him. I ran out the door as fast as my legs could carry me. Sparks took a hard right down an intersection. I did the same. I dodged people strolling down the halls, trying not to hurt anybody with my blazing amethyst blade. I saw Sparks disappear into a doorway. I opened the door and slowed my pace. Inside I found the Temple's main controls, you know, lights, power, water, heat/air, that sort of thing.  
"Come on out, Sparks. I know you're in here." I said. Hopefully I sound really convincing. I heard small movements behind the Main Power Generator Consul. I crept toward it, making sure to act like I didn't know where he was. I turned around and slowly peered behind the consul. Sparks threw a punch at my face, knocking me off my feet. "Sparks!" I called after him. The door slid shut behind him. I stood up and ran after him. I punched the button, but the door didn't open. "Dang it!" I yelled. I ignited my lightsaber and plunged it into the door. The metal melted, but slowly. After I had completed my circle, I kicked it out and jumped through. He's probably long gone now. I thought to myself. Master Kenobi ran toward me.  
"Padawan." He said. "Did you catch him?"  
I shook my head, trying to catch my breath. "No, I didn't."  
He pressed his comlink. "Cody, put the Temple on high alert. I'll tell the Council." 


	3. Chapter 3

Sparks sat in the cold dark cell. He wished he would have left his helmet on, his head was getting quite cold. Just then the door slid open and Commander Python entered. He saw another clone trooper close the door behind him. Python sat down next to Sparks. They sat in silence for a moment until Python spoke.  
"Why'd you do it?"  
Sparks turned his head the other way. He sighed. "I don't know."  
"You ran?"  
"It's the only way I could think of to get out of there." He protested.  
"Sparks, running isn't the only way." Commander Python said.  
"It is for a Separatist." Sparks hung his head.  
Commander Python stood up slowly. Sparks was close to tears. He really was sorry for what he had done. But there was nothing the Commander could do about it now.  
"What's done is done." Python said quietly. With those last words, he left.  
Sparks sank to the floor, face in his hands. He knew there was nothing Python could do about it. He knew he would be tried and put to death for treason.

Daylomb rose slowly from the pile of wreckage. He had to get up, to do something. It was the only way he could stay alive. He tried to rise, but fell. Images swam across the landscape. Images of Kiambo, Mari, and himself. The image of Mari drew closer and drew her lightsaber. She thrust it at Daylomb. He squeezed his eyes shut, but when he reopened them, there was nothing there. He stood up shakily. He looked around him. He had crashed in a green, open prairie. There were no trees. But in the distance, there might have been some.  
Turning, he saw a lone stump in the middle of the wreck. The helmet stood on top of it; a crisp, white helmet. He walked into the prairie. "Well, this is as good a place as any." He pulled a few sticks from trees and built a fire. He ignited one of his blaster bullets so the fire would catch. He piled some stones around it so the fire wouldn't spread. The heat warmed his aching muscles. "Wherever you are, Kiambo, I hope you keep your promise."

Now, hopefully the Council will let me go to Florum. I thought. I entered the Council room to find Master Kenobi standing calmly in the center of the room, speaking to the Council about what just happened.  
"We have captured CT-454621, the one they call Sparks." He was saying.  
I was disgusted. I had never heard Master Kenobi sound so heartless. He had always agreed to clones having some kind of nickname. He said it made them feel more valued than just some clone fighting in a war.  
"Excuse me, Master Kenobi." I said apologetically, even though I didn't mean it. I stood on his right, focusing my penetrating gaze on Master Windu. He would be main problem in letting me go to Florum. He'd ask me why, when, to what benefit, and if I really needed to go.  
Master Kenobi finished speaking and took a quick glance towards me. Master Windu nodded slightly, giving me permission to speak. "Masters of the Jedi Council," I began elegantly, "I come before you seeking permission to travel to Florum…" Master Kenobi looked at me curiously. "…alone." I finished firmly.  
Master Windu raised one eyebrow, and Master Yoda raised both.  
"Why, Padawan Da, do you need to go to Florum?"  
The main problem.  
"To seek…" It would be risky to say I was looking for Daylomb, because they might get suspicious. "…Daylomb...Tiklersco." I almost forgot to add.  
"Grant you permission, I do." Yoda said, lowering his gimer stick to the floor.  
"But Master Yoda, we need her here." Master Windu protested.  
"Her mission from the start, this was. Skywalker, accompany her, you will."  
I bit my lip to keep from blurting out how much I wanted to go alone. That would definitely raise suspicion.  
Master Skywalker had entered shortly after Master Kenobi had taken a seat when I had begun speaking. He looked a little surprised at his new mission, but instead said, "Masters, I have managed to track down Ricotche."  
Master Windu seemed confused.  
"The clone traitor." Master Skywalker said to jog his memory.  
"Ah." Master Plo said. "And where is he?"  
"We have tracked him to The Works. The perfect place for a fugitive. My clone squad is currently working on the situation. We should have him in the next 24-hours."  
"Assume, a Jedi does not. Assume he will be captured, we must not." Yoda said. "Prepare for the worst, we must."  
"I agree." Master Mundi said. Master Skywalker gave a gentle nod and began toward the door. I followed. When we were outside, he contacted Commander Cody. "Cody, prep my starfighter for takeoff. I'll be there shortly."  
"Yes, Sir." Cody replied.  
"I'll wait for you in the hangar, Master Skywalker." I said. I had to go prepare my starfighter.  
"Go ahead." He said as he continued down the hall.  
I dashed down the east wing of the Temple to the hangar bay. I spotted my forest green starfighter sitting peacefully next to Master Skywalker's. I oiled my controls, shined the cockpit, and checked the fuselage for any warning signs that there might be some sort of problem during flight. When I found none, I considered my handiwork. I had built and painted my starfighter with no help from anyone else. It had kind of felt like I was constructing another lightsaber; each step so intricate, each stroke so delicate.  
Just then Master Skywalker entered the hangar. A clone started to talk to him, and Master Skywalker listened intently.  
"Exactly." I heard him say. "Just wait for my orders."  
I climbed into the cockpit of my starfighter. He climbed into his and sealed the airtight roofing. I did the same. I heard his intercom system click on.  
"Ready to go, Padawan?" He asked.  
"Yes, Master." I clicked off auxiliary power and started up the engines. Together, we flew out of the bay and into the open orange sky of another Coruscant evening. We flew out of the atmosphere and I found my hyperspace ring, right where it should be. I gently clicked my ship in and waited for Master to be ready.  
"Ready?" He asked again.  
"Ready." With that, we made the jump to hyperspace.

Commander Blaiz motioned a few other clones to follow him.  
They had picked up on a trail of footprints. They had run diagnostic after diagnostic on them, and finally concluded that they were Ricotche's.  
They crept along silently down a long, dark corridor. He heard voices ahead of them. A shadow glided across the floor in front of them. He cocked his blaster higher. His heart beat faster than it ever had before. This was it. They had found him. He could have a whole gang. He thought. An armed gang. He heard a loud crack. He whirled around. A shiny slowly pulled himself to his feet.  
"Be careful!" Blaiz hissed to him. Commander Blaiz silently placed his hand on the doorknob. He carefully twisted it and pushed it open. He dive rolled in, dodging the eruption of fire that had ensued their entrance. He saw a clone fall, then another. He nimbly jumped over boxes and made it behind the gang. He rapped his arm around Ricotche's neck and shouted, "Stop, or Ricotche's dead!" He shoved his blaster to his prisoner's brain.  
"Stop! Stop firing!" Ricotche said hoarsely.  
The gang immediately stopped. Blaiz tightened his grip on the traitor's neck. The clone's pointed their guns at the gang members' heads.  
"I never thought it would come to this." Blaiz told Ricotche as he snapped a pair of stun cuffs on him. Ricotche looked the opposite way of him, ignoring anything he said. He shot the nearest gang member a quick glance. He nodded. He threw his hands over his neck and punched Blaiz in the helmet, knocking it off. Blaiz stayed on his feet, trying to regain power over Ricotche. Ricotche aimed a perfect kick to the chest of the nearest of the troopers. The gang followed suit.  
Before long, half of the troopers were on the floor, dead or dying, and Ricotche had escaped with all but one of his gang. Commander Blaiz put his gun to the gang member's head.  
"Where did they go?" He asked.  
"I—I—I don't know. I don't know anything."  
Blaiz shoved his blaster harder to his head.  
"They might go to the hideout." He practically screamed. His hands shot into the air.  
"Where?"  
"I—I don't know. Rick always blind-folded me when we went to the hideout."  
"Rick?" Blaiz asked.  
"Yes, that's what he wanted us to call him. He said Ricotche was a stupid name."  
Blaiz bit his lip so hard he could taste blood. "You better be telling me the truth."  
"I am. Yes, I definitely am."  
Blaiz shook his head slowly, as if disagreeing.  
The gangster's eyes opened wide. He shook his head too, only his was more like a question.  
Blaiz could tell what he was thinking. What? You don't believe my lie?  
Commander Blaiz pulled the trigger. The dead alien fell to the floor, along with all the clones he had murdered. Blaiz holstered his blaster. "Men, we've got a job to do." 


	4. Chapter 4

DISCLAIMER: All rights to their respective owners!

I set my starfighter down gently on the charcoal gray landing platform. I popped the hood and climbed out. I waited for Master Skywalker to get out, too, before continuing to the Security droid.  
"Nice flying." He told me.  
"Thanks." I grinned sheepishly.  
"Passes, please." The droid requested.  
We both showed him our passes. He nodded, approving them.  
"Well, where are we off to now?" Master Skywalker asked.  
"I was thinking that maybe we could camp for the night on the outskirts, and kind of make our way in."  
He smiled. "Smart choice, Padawan."

When we had finally made it to the outskirts, Master had already talked to seventeen people, asking if they had seen Daylomb anywhere. Of course, I didn't ask anyone, because then I might gather some information, and then I would have to tell Master. We picked a nice spot, out among the trees, away from the city. I stared longingly at the village, thinking they would probably have blankets. It was so cold out here. Master staked up a tent.  
"I think I'll sleep up there tonight." I pointed to a tree towering over us.  
He shrugged. "Suit yourself." He disappeared inside the tent, then came back out holding a fuzzy blanket. "But you might need this." He used the Force to send it over to me—which, he had to make it go kind of up, because I was all ready halfway up the tree. I wrapped it around me. It was much better now that I wasn't so cold. I secured a few ropes around my waist and tied them to a nearby limb. Then I settled down to sleep. But I can't sleep, I have to find Daylomb. He could be injured, or worse… I had to stop letting my imagination wander. No, he's probably fine. No, he is fine.  
I waited for Master to fall asleep, then quietly untied my ropes neatly slid out of the cocoon I had created with the blanket. I tied the blanket up; making sure it looked like I was still there, then leaped silently off the tree. I landed softly as a cat, using the Force to help me soften my landing. I moved my gaze toward the tent where Master was sleeping. All was quiet. All was calm. I took a deep breath and crept out of earshot. I let my breath out and contacted Daylomb.  
"Daylomb…Daylomb, are you there? Can you hear me?" I asked into the noise of static and a faint voice. His blue, shadowy image appeared.  
"I hear you, Kiambo."  
I felt so relieved. My shoulders sagged. "Are you all right?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine."  
"I'll be there soon. But the Council wanted Master Skywalker to come, so I'm stuck with him."  
"Don't lead him here!" He shouted.  
"Be quiet, Daylomb! You're gonna wake him up." I glanced back toward our camp. Still asleep. "Just hang on; I'm coming." I shattered the comm channel, just to make sure nobody could come back and trace it. I shut my comlink. The mission begins.

I slinked behind trees and shrubbery, doing my best to stay in the shadows. I was passing a small civilization, and I couldn't let anyone spot me. A porch light flicked on. My head whipped down and rested on my knees. I let myself sink back into a bush. A thorn ripped the skin off my left pinky finger. I winced, trying to be as silent as possible. I heard a door creak open. I held my breath.  
"Who's out there?" I heard footsteps quietly creeping toward my hiding place. I squeezed my eyes shut and sank back farther into the shrub.  
When I finally opened my eyes halfway, I saw a pair of feet standing right in front of the bush I was in. I slowly let my breath out and sucked another in. The footsteps disappeared to the other side of the bush. I turned my head slowly. Uh oh. My back was showing on the other side of the bush, hopefully whoever it was won't notice. Suddenly something grasped onto my arm and yanked me out backwards of the bush. I screamed and tried to reach my lightsaber, but he had my arm to strongly. I gave another frustrated scream.  
"Shut up! You'll wake the whole neighborhood!" When I settled down to a huffing, angry girl, he continued. "What were you doing in my bush, robber?"  
"Robber!? I'm not a robber!" I said indignantly.  
"Mm hmm… so I guess you just decided to sleep in a bush tonight."  
I rolled my eyes. "I thought you would think I was a robber as I was walking by, so I hid."  
"In a bush?" He said skeptically.  
I stared at him. He had a thinning circle of light brown hair, and he was wearing fuzzy green pajama pants and an aquamarine shirt. I noticed his slippers, which were also green. I glared into his hazel eyes, and he finally looked away.  
"Where else was I supposed to hide?" I said finally.  
The door slid open again. "Jay? Jay are you still out there?"  
I looked at him quizzically.  
"One minute, Andrea! I've found a ROBBER!" He said "robber" extra loud, just to be mean.  
"I'm not a robber!" I yelled to the woman at the door. She stepped into the light of the porch light. She was tall, about the same age as her husband. She had brown hair also, and she wore a pink fuzzy bathrobe with green slippers, too. She came over to us and squinted at me.  
"She doesn't look like a robber." She turned to Jay, then she turned back to me with a welcoming smile. "Why don't you come inside? It's pretty cold out here." She glared at Jay on the last sentence.  
He shrugged and shoved my arm to my side.  
"Thank you for the invitation, but I really should be going."  
Jay looked pleased. "Well then, have a nice night." He put his hand on Andrea's arm. "Let's go back to bed."  
"No, sweetie, why don't you come inside? I'll fix something hot to drink." She walked back to the house. I objected her calling me sweetie, I mean, after all, I was, like, fifteen.  
I followed Jay into the house. It was small, but cozy. The walls were all a welcoming beige, and the hardwood floors matched perfectly. I sat down in a wooden chair next to the kitchen table. Andrea set a cup of steaming liquid in front of me. I was cautious to drink it at first, but after I had one sip, I couldn't resist.  
"Thank you." I said gratefully. She smiled in return.  
Jay sat down next to me; Andrea started cleaned the saucepan.  
"So, what were you doing out so late at night?" She asked.  
"I was, uh, going home." I lied. I wasn't about to splay out my whole life to her.  
"This late at night?" Jay asked.  
"I was at a party." I lied again.  
"You really should have somebody go with you." Andrea said, turning away from the sink to look at me.  
"I'm fine. I know how to fend for myself." I was sure I had sounded like I was trying to defend my dignity, but I hadn't meant to.  
"I'm sure you can." Andrea said.  
"I should go now." I stood up abruptly. I had been so careful to keep my lightsaber concealed all night, but now I wasn't being so careful.  
Andrea finished the pan and turned to look at me. I turned to open the door, and the dim lights overhead caught my lightsaber.  
Jay's mouth dropped open. Andrea looked stunned. Thoughts swirled through my mind. Daylomb probably thinks I'm not coming…What if these people are Separatists, well, that wouldn't work out, though. This is a Republic planet. What if Master's noticed I'm gone, and come looking for me?  
"You're a Jedi…?" Jay said wonderingly.  
I slowly backed toward the door.  
Andrea's eyes narrowed. "You're a Jedi?" She sounded angry.  
"Y—y—yes…."  
Jay stood up and left the room quickly. I heard a series of beeps. Andrea stood there, still as a statue. Jay came in the room with a blaster pointed at me.  
"Don't move." He said firmly.  
My hand went to my lightsaber, but I didn't get it out. I didn't want to hurt civilians. Andrea stood behind her husband, looking wary.  
I don't know how long I stood there, but with each passing minute my fingers itched to feel the vibrations of my blade cutting through a blaster. I guessed it had been about fifteen standard minutes before there was a knock at the door.  
"Come in!" Jay called, almost sounding relieved.  
The door flew open and battle droids rushed in.  
"Open fire!" The commander droid called.  
My fingers touched the hilt of my lightsaber, and it hadn't even been two seconds before my amethyst blade was deflecting red bolts. I flipped over their table and dismantled two battle droids, then four more. Second wave! My brain screamed. Super battle droids and two spider droids made their way into the house. I backed toward the door. I used the Force to slide it open and kept backing out. When I made it out, I slammed the door shut, using the Force. It was only seconds before the glass door shattered on the impact of a spider droid's cannon. I flew out of the way, but tiny pieces of glass injected themselves into my shoulders and back. I smashed into the dry earth face first. I struggled to my feet and forced my aching arms to move my lightsaber to deflect a few more bolts. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me. There were only a few bolts of fire getting close enough for me to deflect them, so I relaxed a little.  
"Don't let her get away!" I heard Jay scream.  
I got far enough away that I couldn't hear the shots anymore, so I slowed to a walk. I stopped and looked around me. Nothing. I checked my datapad on my belt for the time. In two standard hours—sunrise—Master would be getting up and wondering where I had gone. I hurried in the direction Daylomb had told me to go, occasionally checking behind me to make sure no one was following me. Throughout my whole journey, I kept my hand on the hilt of my lightsaber.  
I wouldn't have ever found Daylomb's makeshift campsite if he hadn't decided to build a fire. Orange and blood red embers fell to the ground, lighting up the grass. I was too far away to call to him, but I could see him sitting beside the fire. He must have heard me, because he quickly doused the fire and looked around carefully. I quickened my pace. I wanted to let him know I wasn't an enemy. I finally reached him, but it was too dark for me to make him out that well.  
"Daylomb!" I cried. I wrapped him in a hug. "Sorry it took me so long to get here. I got a little sidetracked…" I stole a glance behind me. Everything was quiet, just as it should be.  
He followed my gaze. "What happened?" He asked suspiciously.  
"Nothing. It's not a big deal." I yanked a strand of hair away from my face. "Wait a minute, why aren't you in your ship? Where even is your ship?"  
A beam of cold, white moonlight fell over him. His clothes were ragged and torn, and his hair was matted down to his skull. His arms were cut and bruised. His face, tired, bedraggled, and a complete mess, still managed a smile at me.  
My eyes searched the surrounding geographical features for anything unusual. A thin line of smoke and smoking wreckage fell into my line of sight.  
"You're ship crashed?" I asked, bewildered.  
"Naw, it was more of a landing…with a little bit of crash." He added.  
I laughed a little at his joke. Even as beat up as he was, he could still crack a joke when I needed it. The sound of a blaster firing rang through the night. A sudden look of alarm spread across his face.  
"Sorry," I told him, then I added, more to myself than to Daylomb, "They must have followed me here…" I glanced up at him when I realized he was staring at me. "Sorry. When I was trying to find you, these people invited me in to their house and their actually Seps and then they sent droids after me and—"  
He was staring at me like I was a maniac.  
"What?" Then I remembered how he felt about the Separatists. He had left the Sith behind after he had failed a mission. He was afraid his master would get rid of him as an apprentice, and he didn't want to be humiliated; so he left. They had made no move to come after him, so he felt free to go where he wanted. But now that the Seps were here, he probably felt confused and scared. I mean, I would. After running away like that, I would think they were coming to kill me.  
"They're not coming to kill you, Daylomb. They're coming to kill me." 


	5. Chapter 5

"They've got spider droids, battle droids, and even super battle droids. At least, that's what they had when I was there." I breathed heavily from the hard running we were doing. We had taken off as soon as we heard those shots.  
"Do you even know where we're going?" I heard Daylomb say behind me, just loud enough for me to hear. I took a quick glance at the sliver of pink sunlight streaming over the horizon.  
"Yes." I said confidently. "I know where I'm going." Honestly, I didn't. I was just saying that to make him trust me. Then a noise reached my ears. What is that? "Wait." I said breathlessly. I stood stock still, and after he ran a few more feet, Daylomb stopped, too. "What is that?" I whispered. The metallic sound grew louder and louder, coming closer…closer…closer…  
I heard a shield engaging and guns locking on. My eyes grew. I whirled around. Destroyers! "RUN!" I screamed to Daylomb. He caught one glance at the rolling death balls and took off. I ignited my lightsaber.

"CT-347-3422, what is your story?" Mace Windu asked Ricochet.  
He wet his lips nervously. "Well, I, uh, you see, sir, I, uh, you know…"  
"Betrayed the Republic? Sided with the Separatists?" Master Plo said inquiringly. "Both are suitable answers. I would think you would know better than to try to lie." He steepled his fingers.  
"Right, sir, uh, I mean, wrong, sir. I—I—" He paused for a minute, concentrating on Plo Koon's question. He seemed to regain himself, because he answered quite powerfully. "I helped the Separatists. They're the only ones who are in the right in this wretched war." A shimmer of defiance flashed in his eyes.  
"That's treason." Mace said.  
Same thing the Commander said. Ricochet thought. "No, it's doing what's right." He tried to stare down Windu, but Mace won. "The Separatist are doing the right thing, fighting you…scum. I sold them information for a reason. A good reason." He said adamantly, glancing from Obi-wan to Kit Fisto.  
"So you are confessing to be a traitor?" Fisto asked not at all accusingly.  
Ricochet nodded his head slowly but surely. "Like I said, it's not treachery, it's doing what's—"  
"We know, what's right." Obi-wan finished for him.  
"If you want me to shut up and sit down, that's not what I'm going to do. I'll yell it and scream it and shout it in your face that the Separatists are right, and you are wrong!"  
Windu raised an eyebrow, questioning Ricochet's respect.  
"No! I don't have any respect for any of you!" He motioned with his handcuffed wrists to the group of Jedi masters.  
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Obi-wan whispered to Kit Fisto, who was sitting right next to him. Fisto just smiled, like he always does.  
"Court is in recess. We will re-convene in twenty standard minutes." Windu said. He stood up and followed Obi-wan and Fisto out. Master Plo was the last to leave, looking behind him at the vindictive prisoner.  
"He should be executed—immediately. He's a danger to the Republic and its citizens." Adi Gallia said once they had gone into the other room.  
"Woah woah woah…we can't just jump at this. I say we keep him in the detention levels until we decide what to do with him." Ki-Adi-Mundi suggested.  
"I agree with Adi." Kit Fisto said.  
"It is normal for a traitor to be put to death…" Windu thought aloud.  
Ki-Adi-Mundi jumped in. "But we can't just kill him, it would just be wrong. He did serve in the Grand Army of the Republic all of his life."  
"Didn't you hear him? He even confessed to being a traitor." Adi Gallia argued.  
Master Mundi shook his head. "It's wrong."  
Windu nodded. "It would be, but we can't have him alive. He could destroy everything we've worked for."  
"What about you Obi-wan?" Adi asked.  
"Well…it's certainly is a delicate situation. But, I would have to agree with Ki-Adi." He glanced his way.  
Ki-Adi Mundi gave him a little half-smile, glad to have someone on his side.  
"We'll keep him in the detention level until further notice; then we'll decide what to do with him." Windu said.  
They all nodded their agreement, except for Kit Fisto, who as harder to convince. But, finally, they all made their way back to the courtroom.  
"CT-347-3422, your judgement will be that you will stay in the detention level until further notice. But until then, you are stripped of your rank and any battle honors you have received." Windu said, rather harshly.  
Obi-wan drew in a deep breath. "Battle honors? We never agreed on that." He muttered.  
Fisto leaned over. "Must be another one of his spur-of-the-moment choices." Obi-wan nodded slowly, but didn't object.  
The two security officers standing beside the crestfallen Ricochet each grabbed one of his arms. Ricochet jerked them loose, but their hands grasped his arms again, this time more firmly.

Anakin opened his eyes sleepily. The first things he saw were thin rays of sunlight filtering through the thin cloth walls of the tent. He got out of the tent and stretched in the morning sunlight. He finger-combed his hair while staring up at the tree Kiambo Da had climbed just last night to sleep in. "Kiambo! Come on; wake up! We got work to do!"  
Silence.  
"Kiambo!"  
More silence.  
Padawan? Are you still up there? Don't tell me you fell out." He added to himself.  
Still silence.  
"I'm coming up there!" All his ears could hear were birds twittering and leaves rustling in the slight breeze. "I knew it." He muttered. "She fell out. I told her to use that rope."  
He climbed into the tree and saw her cleverly made cocoon. "So, you are still up here. Come on, get up. Can't sleep all day." He reached over and shook the blankets. His hands felt nothing but soft material. "Kiambo?" He shoved the blanket, and it fell down to the ground below. "Padawan?" He asked, confused. The ropes were still tied around the branches, right where she had put them. He examined them for breaks or snags, but there was nothing.  
"She was captured." He whispered to himself. He leaped off the tree and looked around and ran a hand through his hair. "Or she ran off."

I furiously deflected the bolts of the four destroyer droids.  
"Timmy, come on!" Daylomb shouted to me from a few meters away.  
"No, just go!" I shouted back. A bolt singed the sleeve of my Jedi tunic. I glared at it. "All right, tinnies. Prepare to be scrap metal!" I ducked behind a boulder and easily deflected the few bolts than made it around the huge rock. I slid around behind the boulder and crept behind a few more trees. The destroyers had stopped firing. They couldn't find their target. When I made it around behind them, I slid underneath the closest one's shield and stabbed it from underneath. I smiled proudly at the heap of metal, completely forgetting about the other three droids turning my way. I looked up and saw them all locking their blasters. "Uh oh."  
I flipped backward, neatly landing behind the same boulder. "I can't win." I said to myself. I could feel the impact of the bullets hitting the other side of the rock. I tried to get behind them again, but they learned from others' mistakes. Just like vultures. I thought. I deflected a stray bullet. I glanced around for an alternative. None. Then I looked for an escape route. Plenty. I could climb that tree, where the thick canopy would protect me, or I could use Force speed to get to the next boulder, then a tree, then hide and sneak out, or I could jump onto the nearby cliff and go from there…  
I made my decision. "I'll just get on that outcropping. I could jump up onto that. And besides, there's plenty of cover. They'll never know what hit 'em."  
I watched for the perfect opening in the perpetual blasterfire. _Found it._ I raced across the small clearing to another tree. I could get to the cliff from there and get away. I used the Force to leap off the ground and land solidly on the cliff. I deflected the enormous amount of fire coming my way. I couldn't get behind the boulder that was right behind me. There was no time, I would immediately get shot. _Why didn't I think about that?_ Suddenly the destroyer ceased fire and turned around so their backs were to me. _What?_ They opened fire. _What are they shooting at?_ Then my eyes found Master Skywalker, finishing off one of the destroyers. "Uh oh."  
Two still remained, but he hadn't seen me. Even though I knew he was looking for me. I saw him defeat another destroyer. H_elp Master Skywalker or help Daylomb, my own brother?_ My brain rang with the words of Daylomb and Master Yoda, then moved to Master Windu, then back to Daylomb. I cast a longing glance at Master Skywalker. _Save Master, or save Daylomb?_ I looked behind me at Daylomb, who had stopped several hundred feet away from me, watching me. I took one last look at Master Skywalker and ran as fast as I could to Daylomb. "Go!" I shouted. "Master Skywalker's here!"  
Daylomb threw me a fearful look and took off. I followed. I could still hear the faint humming of Master's Skyalker's lightsaber, and the more I heard it, the guiltier I felt. Suddenly the humming stopped. I forced myself to keep running, to not look back, and not see the mangled mess that had probably become of Master. My body battled my will, telling me to turn back, to see if he was all right. But my will told me to stick with Daylomb, to keep him safe. He is your brother! I screamed to myself. I tried to convince my conscience that what I was doing—abandoning a Jedi master—was perfectly all right.  
I began to run out of breath. Still struggling with my emotions, I called for Daylomb to stop. He slowed and turned around, looking at me.  
"I—I—I have to go back." I said slowly.  
"What?" Daylomb said. A look of betrayal seemed to cross his face.  
"He's—he's a master! I have to see if he's all right!"  
"What? Do you want him to kill me?" Daylomb screamed at me.  
I realized he didn't look betrayed, he looked angry.  
"Daylomb, I can't just leave him there to die!"  
Daylomb shook his head, then turned and started to walk away.  
"Daylomb!"  
He kept walking.  
"Are you listening to me?!"  
When he kept walking with no answer, I continued, "I saved your life! Without me, you never would have even got here. In fact, you would probably be dead without me!"  
Daylomb turned again, his face red. "I always thought wars brought family together, but I guess it doesn't."  
This time I let him walk away, and soon he was out of sight. I let his words penetrate deep into my skull, letting them melt into my brain, and go through to my nerves. _Maybe he's right. Maybe I should leave Master. I'm sure he'll be fine._ I took one step forward, then stopped myself again.  
"No. I can't do it." _It's sad. I love someone I'm not even related to more than I love my own brother._


	6. Chapter 6

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Wars. All rights to George Lucas!

The security officer shoved Ricochet along toward the detention level, occasionally having to give him a firm push in the back. He grumbled all the way, never missing a beat.  
"Oh, shut up." One of the officers snapped, shoving him again.  
Ricochet cast a quick glance around the narrow hallway, taking in everything from the transparisteel walls to the outdoor landing platform through the next doorway. He kept walking, following the officers' orders. He waited for an opening, and when it came, he lunged for it.  
He wrenched his arms around in the stun cuffs until he was able to sling them over one of the two guards' necks and strangle him. He kicked the other in the face and ran back down the corridor.  
_Good thing I shoved that piece of shrapnel in my utility belt. That'd be perfect to pick this lock. Too bad Skybird didn't live long enough to see it. I must say so myself, it's quite the souvenir. I mean, who wouldn't want a piece of the Battle of Crokalin?_ He knew he wasn't allowed to take anything off the battlefield, but, in his opinion, it was just a piece of shrapnel. Plenty of clones had been killed with the stuff.  
Footsteps echoed off the shiny metallic walls. He pressed himself against the wall, making sure to stay behind the supports. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Masters Plo Koon and Obi-wan Kenobi rushing down the hall, missing the one he was in.  
_Idiots. I thought they could "sense" stuff._ He mocked them mentally. When he was sure they had gone, he moved slightly to the left so he could see both entrances to the hall while he picked the lock. He sat there for at least five minutes trying to pick the lock. _Dang it, I'm wasting time._  
"Hey, there he is!" The shouts of clone troopers and Jedi Knights alike filled the hallway. He threw the shrapnel to the ground and snapped the chain links over his knee. _These things are cheap._ He slid the cuffs off and let them hit the ground with a thud. Now he could see the clone troopers rushing in the entrance to the hall. With one glance at them, he could see their blasters were not on stun. He took off down the hall, then turned right. The hallway ahead of him was long, and his pounding footsteps could probably be heard miles away. He made a sharp turn right and shoved open a thick transparisteel door. He flew down the steps that he found through the doorway and ended up on the bottommost levels of the detention block. Another extremely long hallway followed the steps. He ran down that, too, looking for a way out of the building. By the time he reached the halfway point in the hallway, he was met on the other end by clone troopers, blasters raised. He tried to turn around and go back, but the troopers chasing him had caught up and now had him at gunpoint, too. His gaze flicked from trooper to trooper, and, finally, one gave him an order.  
"Hands in the air!"  
He spotted a window just low enough for him to scramble out. He leaped through it, glass flying into the air and surrounding him like angry birds. He heard a few shots echo inside the building, then the troopers commanding others to go after their runaway.  
He slammed to the ground, and, luckily, it was plush grass. _I thought they were too evil to plant grass around a jail._ He sat up quickly, rubbing his head with his right palm. No broken bones. _And those idiots won't jump out the—_  
Clones cascaded out of the now broken window, using their jetpacks to lightly land on the ground. Commander Blaiz rushed him and shoved his DC-15 blaster rifle to his temple.  
"Get up!" He shouted.  
"Blaiz, no need to yell." Ricochet said menacingly sweet as he gathered himself off the ground.  
"Hands in the air!"  
"Anytime, my friend." Ricochet slammed his blaster right back at him, hitting him in the face. Blaiz stumbled backward a step, then regained himself and launched a leveled kick to Ricochet's face. Since Ricochet now had possession of the DC-15, he could control all of them with a simple threat. He ducked under Blaiz's kick and grabbed him by the throat. He wrapped his left arm around his neck and used his free hand to point the blaster at Blaiz's head.  
"Don't shoot, or you'll all be murderers!" Ricochet warned.  
"Don't listen to him, men. Fire!" Ricochet tightened his grip to silence Blaiz, maybe for good.  
A few of the clones glanced at each other, confused of what to do. One of them took aim and fired, but missed—by far.  
Ricochet slowly backed up a few steps, keeping the blaster to Blaiz's head. He's being too quiet. Ricochet thought suspiciously. The men are taking this too lightly. Something's going on here. He suddenly noticed his captive's hand flying to his utility belt. He drew a back up short-range blaster pistol. Blaiz jammed the gun into Ricochet's arm so hard he dropped the blaster rifle. In the split second of Riochet's weakened state, Blaiz twisted around, Ricochet's arm still around his neck, and drew it back behind Ricochet. Blaiz heard a slight crunching sound that he suspected was Ricochet's arm being popped out of place. Ricochet tried to wriggle free and make a run for it, but the Commander's grip was far too strong. Ricochet finally found Blaiz's open spot and kicked him solidly in the ribcage. Commander Blaiz stood his ground, but his hold on Ricochet's arm lightened. He took the opportunity and shook free.  
"Open fire!" He heard Blaiz command.  
Ricochet darted out of the way of the raining bullets. He took off to the first parked air speeder he saw. Ricochet jumped in and slammed on the ignition. _Come on, stupid thing. Go!_ The speeder lifted slowly off the ground. He glanced behind him as his ride took off. A few of the clones confiscated pedestrians' vehicles, while some just found Crowd Control vehicles and got in those. Then his gaze met Commander Blaiz's.  
_Uh oh._ He thought nervously. He weaved in and out of traffic, trying to dodge civilians; but most of the time failing. He finally spotted a tunnel that could make a great getaway. He glanced down at the fuel levels. _Aargh!_ He screamed to himself, completely frustrated. The speeder began going berserk, flipping loop-de-loops and diving-donuts. His speeder shot into the tunnel. Ricochet tried his best to keep the thing under control while in the tunnel, but there was too much traffic. He rear-ended a vehicle and smashed another one's taillights. _The end of the tunnel, finally._ He thought as the opening appeared. But it was too late. Lights began blinking inside the vehicle, and the fuel lifters were sparking. Ricochet knew what this meant. If the fuel lifters were sparking, the vehicle would soon blow up if it didn't cool down. He tried to make an emergency landing inside the tunnel, but it didn't work. _Come on, hang in there._ He thought encouragingly to the speeder. The lights on the fuel tank display shut off, and the speeder took an immediate nose-diver to the bottom of the tunnel.  
Traffic was clearing, and he could see clearly behind him without worrying his head would be swiped off by a passing ship.  
"Stop right there!"  
Ricochet could see a ship speeding through the tunnel; his fate rushing him. His attention was jerked back to his failing ship. He tried to pull up, but it was no use. His ship was going down.

I ran for all I was worth, trying, wanting, hoping to find master alive. "Master?! Master!" I reached the place where the destroyers had been. HAD been. They weren't there anymore. There wasn't even scraps of metal. Not even a few. "Master?" I called a little more softly. I stooped to the ground and grabbed a fistful of the soft soil. "Master?" I whispered so softly, I could barely hear myself. I let the deep mocha brown dirt fall through my fingers. "Master." I said again, this time mournfully. A tear trickled down my cheek. I wiped it away with my dirty hands, which only accomplished spreading mud on my face. I leaned back on the boulder I had hid behind only an hour ago. "What have I done?" I began muttering to myself. "I let Master Skywalker die. I didn't even help him destroy the droids, I just…left." My voice cracked. _What will happen to me when they find out that I let Master Skywalker die? Then I would tell them I had to save Daylomb, then they would find out about my past, my whole Sith heritage._ My heart sank. _They would kick me out of the temple. They would find out that I'd betrayed them._ I couldn't bear to think about it anymore. I wiped my eyes and stood up to look around. _I can't think about this anymore. Maybe he's somewhere around here. Maybe he's not dead…_  
I searched the ground for some sign of a struggle, but found none. "It looks like nothing ever happened here." I murmured to myself. My fingertips tingled, I sensed something in the Force. My head shot up and my right hand fell to my lightsaber. I ignited it. Something was going on. The only sound was the humming of my amethyst blade and the faint sound of birds chirping. I gazed around. Something was coming closer, and closer, and closer… I caught the sound of soft, lurking footsteps. I stood still as the boulder behind me, waiting for whatever it was to spring upon me. A dark, shadowy figure emerged from the trees. My breath caught, then I sighed in relief.  
"Master Skywalker! I thought you were…" I clipped my lightsaber back onto my utility belt.  
"You did? You really thought those things could kill me?" He leaned against a nearby tree.  
"Well, I just assumed. I mean, I couldn't find any footprints or anything…"  
"Well, assuming didn't help you, now did it?" He snapped.  
"No…" I said slowly.  
He smoothed his hair with his gloved hand. "You can't just run off like that. I'm responsible for you. You could have been captured, or killed. I heard shots in the vicinity. Anything could have happened." He stopped abruptly. He quietly walked toward me and stood in front of me. I gulped. "Where were you?"

Ricochet awoke to a ferocious wind tugging at his shirt and the frightening sound of speeders whooshing past at crazy speeds. He was lying on a hard, white floor. He looked up. Speeders flew only meters above his head, exiting the tunnel. He scrambled down and spread out on his stomach. _What am I supposed to do now?_ His eyes caught the wrecked air speeder, and he decided to make a dash for it. He crawled on all fours until he reached the tipped vehicle and crawled underneath. _Hopefully this thing won't blow up. Stang! It probably will. The fuel lifters were sparking._ He crawled out from underneath it and kept crawling until he reached the entrance to the tunnel. _I wonder how many other vehicles it'll blow up along with it?_ He wondered. _Well, don't wanna stick around long enough to find out._ "Woah!" He pressed himself against the wall of the tunnel as another air speeder flew threw the entrance. He tried to calm his racing heart. He started to lean over the edge to look out, just to make sure no more flying objects would come whizzing through the tunnel and chop his head off. He looked down—where the ground should have been. Ricochet was thousands of meters into the air, the ground was so far down, he couldn't even see it. O_h. I didn't notice that before._ He pulled himself farther away from the entrance and sat back against the wall. _What am I supposed to do now?_ _Those stupid troopers will be on me in a second as soon as that stupid speeder blows up._ BOOM! As if on cue, a ball of light filled the tunnel. The roar of the fireball was deafening. He could feel the tunnel vibrating. Ricochet heard several other smaller explosions. _More vehicles are blowing up by the second._ He thought nervously. _I've got to get out of here._ He heard the sound of sirens from a crowd control vehicle coming closer and closer. The thunderous sound and brilliant lights were flooding toward him. He didn't know what to do. _I can't get caught!_ He thought, in a panic. _I can't die!_ He looked from the entrance to the rapidly approaching ball of light. Then he made his choice. He stood up, barely missing an air speeder entering the tunnel, then frantically trying to turn back. That didn't end well. Before he could do it himself, the explosion of the nearby vehicle threw him out of the tunnel.

**Sorry if I missed any thoughts that weren't italicized. I tried to italicize all I could find. Thanks for readings and keep reviewing! I live off of your reviews!**


	7. Chapter 7

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Star Wars! All rights to George Lucas; with the exception of a few characters I created.**

"I, uh, I was just, um…" I hung my head and let my voice trail off.

"What were you doing?" He asked firmly. He put his hands on his hips; an indignant look on his face. "You were looking for trouble, weren't you?"

I was surprised that he had created an excuse for me. "Well, you know. I was so bored. I had to find something to do." I lied.

A slow smile spread across his face. He put his hand on my shoulder. "You're just like me. Can't rest until they're all scrap metal." He gazed off into the risen sun.

"Yeah. Just like you." I said, not at all in the conversation. _I have to find Daylomb. I have to apologize._ I was thinking.

"Padawan?" Master Skywalker interrupted my thoughts. I looked up into his face.

"Huh? I mean, uh, yes?"

"You weren't listening, were you?" He asked, a skeptical look on his face.

"Sorry." I said apologetically. "I've just had a lot of things on my mind lately."

"I can tell." He turned, looking back in the direction of our campsite. "We'd better go 'pack up.' I almost forgot, but, I guess you didn't catch that Daylomb character."

"No, I didn't. But I can keep looking while you, uh, 'pack up.'"

"Suit yourself. But," I started off in the direction Daylomb had gone, "hey," he called me back to attention. "Be careful. I'll contact you in twenty standard minutes."

"Yes, Master. I'll be back." I took off running. I went a little more southward; I didn't want to lead him to my brother. When I was a considerable distance away, I twisted around and checked to make sure Master was out of sight. "Yes." I was hoping Master wouldn't watch me until I was out of sight. That would throw me way off course. I made a sharp eastward turn and jogged the whole way until I found a pair of footprints.  
"These can't be mine." I measured my boot length against the footprints'. "Yeah. Definitely Daylomb's. He always did have big feet." I ran, following the tracks for at least ten standard minutes. _I'm running out of time, I only have ten more minutes._ I ran for a few more minutes, then stopped and looked around. "How the heck did he get so far away?" Then I noticed a small object moving slowly on the horizon. Daylomb! "Daylomb! Wait!"  
The object turned and two small eyes glared at me. He took a few steps closer, then stopped again. I finally caught up to him. He looked so calm, so uncaring. He waited for me to speak first.

"Daylomb," I tried to catch my breath, "Daylomb, listen, I wasn't going to let him find you. I just had to—"

"Save him." He finished, not at all out of breath.

He must not have been running like I was. "Exactly. I couldn't just let him die…"

"And did you?"

"Huh? Did I what?"

"Save him?"

"Oh, uh, well, not exactly…"

"So he died."

Daylomb always tried to finish my sentences for me. In all the years I've known him, he'd never broken that habit. I hated it.

"No." I said, getting annoyed with his finishing for me. "He didn't. He saved himself." I was prepared for his classic eye-roll and lecture, but it never came.

"Timmy—Kiambo—if you wanna live like a Jedi, then you have to have a Jedi family."

I looked at him for a minute, trying to puzzle out his words. He turned and started walking away. "Wait." I said. I trotted forward a few steps to catch up. He didn't stop walking when I did. "Daylomb…" I protested. He kept walking, getting farther and farther away. "Big Bro?" He kept walking until he was out of sight. "It wasn't my choice!" I screamed into the setting sun. "I could either lose you, or him!" I kept protesting for another five standard minutes. I knew he couldn't hear me, but I kept shouting anyway until I could no longer see him, then I sank down onto my knees. "What have I done?" I whispered to myself. I sat there for as long as I dared, thinking about the last few days, the brother I would probably never see again, and the Master I had tried to save. _He's gone forever. I know it. I'll never see him again. And all for what? Nothing._

I stood up, still thinking those same thoughts as I headed back toward our camp. By the time I made it back, Master had everything loaded onto a ship and ready to go. He must have called for a ship.

"Didn't catch him?" He asked as he helped me up onto the ship.

"No, but I was close."

I glanced at the eleven Masters surrounding me. "No, Master Windu. I was unsuccessful in capturing Daylomb."

"Hmm." Master Kenobi said. "We will have to make more of an effort next time, Padawan."

"Yes, Master." I said, hanging my head. I felt completely defeated. "What happened to Ricochet?" I asked quietly.

"He was killed in an express-way explosion. He was given a proper burial." Mace Windu replied.

"And Sparks?" I asked. I was concerned about him. He was my oldest friend and member of my squad.

"He's been released from custody. Commander Python was questioned, and found innocent, also."

"He was found innocent?" I felt a glimmer of hope course through me.

"Innocent, he was." Yoda answered my question. I felt relieved.

"You may return to your quarters now, Padawan Da." Master Adi Gallia told me.

"Thank you…Masters." I gave them a slight bow and headed back to my quarters. I reached my quarters and flopped on my bed, exactly where Daylomb had lain only a few days ago. Then I stood up and gazed out the window.

Air speeders whizzed by the window, stopping at different shops and homes. I watched a pair of droids cleaning spray paint off of a tall, permacrete building.

Daylomb's words rang in my mind. _Jedi family. Jedi family. Jedi family._ The two droids flew off. _But, Daylomb, what if my family aren't Jedi?_

END

**Thank you for reading this story! Well, if anybody did. I appreciate the reviews I have gotten and am grateful for your support! I will be publishing some other books in this series that I have written soon. I should have the first one shortly, but I am revising it and stuff. Thank you! **

**Mrs. King Aragorn  
**


	8. NOT A CHAPTER

**Sorry, guys. This isn't a new chapter that I added on. I just wanted to say that if you liked this story, I will be posting other books in the Timmy series soon. The first book, which is entitled Mission Disaster, should be out by next week. If you have any suggestions or ideas for the series, please PM and tell me your ideas!**

**If you would like to check out some of my other stories, actually, I only have one other, then feel free. My other story is a Lord of the Rings one titled Hunting Orc. Well, I will see you guys soon and I hope you enjoy the next Timmy books!**


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